This invention relates to tools and more particularly to powered circular saw tools for use by left or right-handed craftsmen.
The art of cutting wood has come a long way since the bow saw or the elongated hand saw. Modern craftsmen of today typically utilize power saws having electrical motors thereon. These are handy devices. However, typically electrical motor powered saws are not both left and right handed, and electrical powered saws are unusable where there is no electricity available to power them.
Batteries have powered hand tools for some time now, however batteries are heavy, they discharge fairly rapidly, and add to the cumbersome nature of the tool or equipment being powered thereby.
It is the object of the present invention, to overcome these disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention, to provide a hand manipulable power saw which does not need electricity to power its operation.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention, to provide a power circular saw that is readily adaptable for left hand use or right hand use.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a circular device which that may be powered by pressurized air.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention, to provide a saw which can be utilized by a left handed person, a right handed person, with appropriate blade safety shielding.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a circular saw wherein the direction of blade rotation may be changed very readily, and wherein any jamming of a saw blade would not have a deleterious effect the drive motor thereof.
The present invention comprises a portable multi-handed circular power saw which in one embodiment is empowered by a compressed air source. The power saw apparatus comprises an elongated generally rectangular face plate having a generally vertically disposed support frame arranged approximately at a midpoint thereof. The support frame has a drive shaft housing enclosed at its upper or distalmost end. The drive shaft housing has a first end to which an output driveshaft extends. A circular saw blade is attached to the distal end of the output driveshaft. A curvilinear blade shield arrangement is articulably attached to the driveshaft housing, to enable it to be moved arcuately adjacent to the circumference of the circular saw blade.
The elongated motor housing has a first end and a second end. For the air driven embodiment, an air inlet is arranged at the second end of the motor housing. The air inlet controllably discharges pressurized air within the elongated motor housing in conjunction with an air direction control valve arranged therewithin. The air direction control valve is adjusted by a forward and reverse switch mounted on the outside of the motor housing. The air direction control valve variably directs air onto a rotatable drive rotor mounted in a bearing supported arrangement within the motor housing, to readily change the direction of the rotor and hence the direction of rotation of the blade. The drive rotor is connected to a power output driveshaft through a pinion gearing at the first end of the elongated motor housing.
A deflectable air vent is arranged through the side wall of the elongated motor housing. The air vent is preferably directable towards a point onto the base plate, so as to permit discharged compressed air to blow away sawdust from the base plate and rotating saw blade.
An elongated on/off switch is arranged on the outside of the motor housing, adjacent its second end. The on/off switch is adapted so as to permit compressed air to be released through the air direction control valve by the user""s left or right hand.
A guide handle extends from the first end of the elongated motor housing to which it is attached. The guide handle is in longitudinal alignment with the axis of the output drive shaft extending through the driveshaft housing.
A compressed air source is in communication with the pneumatically empowered circular saw through a coiled air hose attachable therebetween. In an electric motor powered version, the housing would contain an electric motor supplied by an electric cable or by batteries.
In either motor embodiment, the elongated motor housing is flipable about an arc of 180 degrees by a pivot support arranged at the distal end of the vertical support frame extending from the base plate. By shifting the elongated motor housing from one end of the elongated base plate to the other end of the elongated base plate, change of xe2x80x9chand-controlxe2x80x9d is permitted of the saw arrangement from a right hand to a left hand, or vice versa. The user""s xe2x80x9cpredominantxe2x80x9d hand is juxtaposed about the elongated motor housing at the second or remote end, and the user""s xe2x80x9cotherxe2x80x9d hand is utilized to hold the guide handle.
Flipping the elongated motor housing about its power output axis permits a left handed or right handed individual to use the same piece of equipment, or permits a dexterous craftsman to utilize the same piece of equipment in a more universal manner.
The vertically arranged support frame extending from the baseplate has a shaft housing tilt adjustment mechanism arranged therewith, to permit tilting of the output axis with respect to the baseplate so as to go from a parallel to a non-paralleled or skewed relationship therewith thus effecting the perpendicularity or non-perpendicularity of the sawblade and its cutting angle with respect to the base plate.
The vertical support frame extending from the base plate is also vertically adjustable by virtue of a pair of threadedly interengagable components thereof to effect vertical displacement of the output shaft from the baseplate, and hence effect the depth of cut of the circular sawblade with respect to that baseplate.
In the air powered embodiment, the deflectable airvent extending from the xe2x80x9csawxe2x80x9d side of elongated motor housing is articulable so as to effect a blowing away of sawdust regardless of whether the elongated motor housing is in its left handed or right handed use configuration with respect to the elongated baseplate.
The elongated baseplate has a v-shaped notch at a first end thereof, to function as a right hand site mark, and the baseplate has a second end with a v-shaped notch to effect a left hand site mark, the right and left hand site marks being in longitudinal alightment with the circular saw blade. It is to be noted that the width of the baseplate could be limited to its size at those right hand site and left hand site marks.
Thus, what has been shown is a unique portable electric or compressed air powered rotary circular saw which is utilizable by either a left handed or a right handed individual, by virtue of its flipability of its elongated motor housing from one end to the other, about a drive shaft axis. This permits a user to maneuver the saw when particular cutting restrictions require it. This same power saw arrangement in the air powered construction permits its sawdust to be blown away by the compressed air which has been used by the drive rotor within the elongated motor housing. Thus the power source is also a means for removing sawdust and facilitating the accuracy of the cutting activity.
The invention thus comprises an empowered circular saw apparatus for the cutting of material by either a left handed or a right handed operator, comprising: an elongated base plate with a support frame extending from one side thereof; and an output housing supported on the distal end of the support frame, with an elongated drive motor housing supported on one side of the support frame and a saw blade supported on the opposed side of the support frame. The drive motor housing is swingable about an axis of rotation of an output shaft through the output housing, to permit handed control of the saw apparatus to be changed. The drive motor housing encloses an air powered rotor by which the circular saw blade is rotated. The drive motor housing includes a dust blowing articulable nozzle. The drive motor housing has an air direction control valve arranged therein, to permit control of direction of the rotor therein. A guide handle may be arranged in longitudinal alignment with the axis of rotation of the output shaft. A an elongated on/off switch may be arranged externally of the drive motor housing to permit the saw apparatus to be controlled whether the elongated drive motor housing is in a left-hand use mode or a right-hand use mode. The guide handle assists in control of the saw apparatus whether the saw apparatus is in a left-hand use mode or a right-hand use mode. The support frame has a tilt mechanism arranged with the output shaft housing to permit the output shaft to be tilted with respect to the baseplate. The support frame has a height control mechanism therein to permit a height adjustment to be made with respect to the output shaft housing and the baseplate.
The invention also comprises an empowered circular saw apparatus for the cutting of material by either a left handed or a right handed operator, comprising: an elongated base plate with a support frame extending from one side thereof; and an output housing supported on the distal end of the support frame, with an elongated drive motor housing supported on one side of the support frame and a saw blade supported on the opposed side of the support frame, wherein a drive rotor supported within the drive motor housing is driven by pressurized air from a pressurized air source in communication with the housing through a conduit arranged therebetween. The drive motor housing may be swingable about an axis of rotation of an output shaft through the output housing to permit handed control of the saw apparatus to be changed. The drive motor housing has a direction control valve therewithin to control the direction of pressurized air to the drive rotor within the housing.
The invention also includes a method of cutting material from a left handed orientation and a right handed orientation of a saw apparatus, comprising the steps of: supporting a drive motor arranged within an elongated drive motor housing thereon on a support frame on an elongated base plate; empowering the drive motor to rotate a saw blade through an output shaft also supported by the support frame; cutting the material by the saw; and moving the elongated drive motor housing about an axis of the output shaft through an arc of about 180 degrees to permit the saw apparatus to be operated to cut by an opposite hand. The method also includes the steps of supplying the drive motor housing with a pressurized air from a pressurized air source to permit the blade to be rotated, controlling the direction of rotation of the saw blade by a air flow direction control valve arranged within the drive motor housing and in communication with the pressurized air source.